As a redhead, you are seen as confident, successful and temperamental. This isn't simply just a case of “seeing red” though. Redheads have been found to hold more power: in a study conducted on 500 CEOs, it was found that 4% were redheads.
Redheads actually have less hair than most other people. On average they only have 90,000 strands of hair while blonds, for example, have 140,000. However, red hair is typically thicker so it still looks just as full.
Red hair is the result of a genetic variant that causes the body's skin cells and hair cells to produce more of one particular type of melanin and less of another. Most redheads have a gene mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R).
They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications. However, studies suggest that their general pain tolerance may be higher. People with red hair also respond more effectively to opioid pain medications, requiring lower doses.
Previous studies had shown that redheads inherit two versions of the MC1R gene that leads to red hair – one from their mum and one from their dad. Although almost everyone with red hair has two copies of the red-haired version of MC1R, not everyone carrying two red-haired versions is a redhead.
gingerphobia (uncountable) (UK, informal) Fear, dislike, or hatred of people with red hair.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild.
Redheads Look Older Than They Are
Some evidence suggests redheaded adults often appear older than their actual age. For example, one study published in 2016 in Current Biology found that adults who carry two copies of the MC1R gene variant are more likely to look two years older than other people their age.
Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, followed by hazel or green shades.
Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and lesser frequency in other populations.
About 1–2% of people of European origin have red hair. Especially female redheads are known to suffer higher pain sensitivity and higher incidence of some disorders, including skin cancer, Parkinson's disease and endometriosis.
How many redheads are there? Less than 2% of the world's population has red hair. The highest concentration of redheads is in Scotland (13%), followed by Ireland (10%).
The redhead gene
MC1R is responsible for producing the skin pigment melanin, which redheads can't produce because of the mutation. This same gene is responsible not only for hair and skin color, but also for the midbrain function that determines pain response.
Most redheads have pink undertones in the skin which can appear ruddy.
Don't know if you have the ginger gene? If you're a redhead, you definitely have the gene, and you will always pass this gene on to your children. Also, if someone in your direct bloodline has red hair, you will also carry the ginger gene, but won't necessarily be a redhead (see table below).
Hair color actually doesn't tell us a lot about personality, although it can affect how we are perceived or treated by other people.
Researchers think that the ginger gene, known as MC1R, may cause the temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to the cold.
Red hair is caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene. It's also a recessive trait, so it takes both parents passing on a mutated version of the MC1R gene to produce a redheaded child. Because it's a recessive trait, red hair can easily skip a generation.
A new survey reported by the Daily Mail says ladies should start worrying in their 30s: specifically, ages 30, 32, and 35 (for redheads, brunettes, and blonds, respectively).
Some studies indicate that redheads are more prone to illness because they prefer to keep out of the sun and so lack vitamin D, or because their ability to absorb the vitamin is less efficient.
Despite plenty of debunked “studies” that pop up around the internet every few years, redheads are not going extinct.
Navy, cobalt, and soft powder are all great options. Even brighter blues in the turquoise family and deep blueberry colors are other smart choices. A simple denim blue is an easy go-to option that enhances the complexion of the true redhead.
So what does that all mean for your chances of having a red-headed child? Since you need two pieces of “red hair” DNA to have red hair, your child will only have red hair if they receive “red hair” DNA from both parents. Even if you don't have red hair, you can still pass on a red hair allele to your child!
The recessive gene that carries red hair has been traced back 50,000 Years when early modern gingers first appeared in the grasslands of Central Asia. Red hair was regarded in classical literature as the epitome of everything barbaric – but only when it comes to men.
Pheomelanin ranges from red to pink. Redheads have much more pheomelanin than eumelanin in their bodies. That's why their skin tone is often so light, and why their hair is often reddish.